Sliding shoe for furniture.



No. 822,963. PATENTED JUNE 12, 1966.

x O. 0. LXTTLE.

SLIDING SHOE PUB. FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED 1135119, 1905.

A TTORN E Y UNITED STATES ,rArE 'r OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

,Iiatented. June 12, 1906.

Application Bled June 9,1906. Serial No. 264,700.

To all whom it may concern: Y Be it known that I, On'roN O. LITTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Menasha, in the county of Winnebago and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful IIn rovement in Sliding Shoes for Furniture, 0 which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a device for use u on furniture-legs or upon other articles which it is desired to move a short distance instead of the common wheel-casters, and it is desi ed also for application to the rear is s of c airs, particular y office-chairs in hote s, club-rooms, professional mens oilices, &c., for the urpose of allowing the tipping back ward of the chairs without the floor or the floor-coverin being in any way injured or defaced by t e logs of the chairs, and it also relates to the application of a pad of fabric to the shoe for use upon hard-wood or other lassy floors, it comprising a circular shoe to e applied to the furniture for supporting'it upon the floor, it having a flat bottom with u ward] curved outer edge, and those intended 2dr chairs sometimes being provided with a cavity on its under side into which a pad of fabric is to be secured by means of cement or otherwise, said pad projeotingbelow the outer edge of the shoe. Rising centrallyiroln the upper side of the shoe a curved top so port for a socket is 'arranged, the socket sing arranged to oscillate upon said support am being adapted to be dctachahly connected by moans of a round pm to the article to be supported by the shoe, said pin being for most purposes preferably of the kind known as a split pin.

Among the advantages of this shoe over the usual wheel-caster, are the large surface which it presents for the support of the article to be moved in comparison with the surface of a wheel of narrow face and small diameter, and it being of circular form it can slide in any direction, which a small caster-wheel will not do, and, furthermore, when sliding it will not be liable to mar the liner or tear the caret, which faults are of common occurrence in the use of the usual casters. By means of the support with its curved top a universal joint is provided, which, althou ii confined in its movement within prescribe hunts, 1s amle for all occasions likely to oecur,such as ubricating the joint, tilting a chair backward or moving the various articles for which the shoe is adapted.

the pin;

My invention is illustrated in the aceom panying drawings, in which-- Fi ure 1 is a vertical section of one form of the s oe as s plied to chairs and also showing a pad of is ric attached to the shoe. 2 is a plan showing the upper side of the shoe. Fig. 3 is a plan showin the under side of the socket which is carrie upon the curved top oi the centrally-arranged support of the shoe. Fig. 4 is a vertical section showing a modified construction of a shoe intended to be cast from a suitable metal and designed for heavier furniture than the one shown in Fi 1. Fig. 5 is a plan showin the up or side 0 the shoe that is shown in ig. 4. lg. 6 is a vertical section showin a shoe intended to be formed of a suitab e earthenware material and may be used on pianos, book-cases and other heavy articles. Fig. 7 is a vertica section of a piece of furniture and showing a split pin, in elevation, inserted in said furniture, the in having the socket which is Fig.

shown in iigs. 4 and 6 u on its lower or closed end. Fig. 8 shows a orm of shoe similar tothat shown in Fi l, but having a differsstmethod by whic it is connected with El 9 is a plan of the support for the socket w ich is shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 10 is a. side elevation of a split pin. Fig. 11 is 9.

Ian of the housing used in Fig. 6. Fig. 12 1s a. plan of the housing shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 13 is a plan of the lower side of the shoe, as shown in Fig. 1.

Similar numerals indicate like parts in the several views. 7

In Fig. 1, 1 indicates the sliding shoe formed by stamping it from a suitable sheet metal, the concentrically-arranged support 2 having the central perforation 3, said perforation being of sullicient diameter for allowing the shoe to oscillate season pin 4 the necessary amount, a washer 5 heing placed between the socket-piece 6 and head 7 of the pin, so that the shoe can oscillate easily. The pin can be a solid round pin, as in Fig. 1, or a split pin, as in e, 6, 7, 8, and 10.

Split pins are not a new device, but as far as I am aware they have never been ap V lied in the manner herein shown, but have con inserted entirely through a bore in a part upon which it was desired to retain another part instead of detachably connecting two arts, as herein shown. This pin is formed hy bending a bar of half-round spr' metal until the flat sides of its two ends near y meet each other andkby forming a small head or enlargement upon its closed end. Thepurpose of said head is to hold the pin from passmg entirely through an aperture into which the pin is inserted, and in some cases it may be more convenient to form a thread upon said closed end and secure thereto a part larger than the pin and fdrming therebya detachable head.

In the modification Fig. 4 the shoe 1 is formed by casting it from a suitable metal, the support 2 having its apex removed and its upper end so shaped as to provide space for the head 7 of the split pin 4. The socket 6 is formed by stamping it from sheet metal,

as is also the housin 12, which housing has its outer ed e turns over the outer edge of the shoe an its central perforation 13 formed of a sufficient diameter for the oscillation of the shoe under the socket, said central perforation having a lip 14 turned downward for engaging the outer curve of the socket 6.

The modification shown in Fig. 6 has its shoe 1 formed of earthenware material,

which material when properly glazed will present a very hard and glassy surface for sliding over a floor or carpet. A socket 15 is formed, into which a sup orting-piece 16,

stamped from sheet meta is inserted, the

sup orting-piece having the curved upper su ace socket-support 2 havin the perforation 3 for giving space for the ead of the attaching-pin. The outer edge of the iece 16 is bent over and is carried upon the edge 18, which is formed in the shoe. The elevated part 19 of the shoe is provided with an undercut 20 around its outer edge, into which the outer edge 17 of the housin 12 is turned, the housing, like the one described to relative to Fig. 4, being HOVldGd with a central perforation and a ip for engaging the curved outer surface of the socket and preventing its separation from the shoe as the article to which the shoe is attached is lifted 5 from the floor.

Fig. 8 shows a form of shoe 1 substantially the same as is shown in Figs. 1 and 4, formed, as in Fig. l, by stamping it from sheet metal instead of casting it, as in Fig. 4. The

,0 socket 6 is appliedto the shoe the same as in Fig. 4; but thehousing l2 isfitted around the socket-piece by turning a lip 14 upward around its central opening for engaging the curved outer surface of the socket piece.

The only need of the housing is to lift the shoe whenever it is necessary to raise the 'article to which the shoe may be attached and to hold the shoe so near the socket upon the pin that when the article moved is again 0 placed upon the floor the shoe and socket will assume their normal position relative to each other.

In Figs. 1 and 13, indicates a cavity into which a fabric pad 11 is inserted for a pur- 5 pose heretofore described.

within the upper surface of the Having described my invention, 'what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, ls-

l. A sliding shoe for furniture, or other ar ticles, having a fiat lower surface and upwardly-curved outer ed e, a support arranged concentrically wit 'n the shoe having a portion of its upper surface between its vertical sides and top and provided with an out wardly-curved surface, a socket fitted to oscillate u on said curved surface within pre-- scribed 'mits, and a in arranged to pass through said socket an being a apted to be en aged by a bore in a suitable iece havi a iameter corres ending with t 0. diameter of said pin, and a e th equal to the length of the pin required to e used in said bore, and means for preventing the separation of said concentrically-arranged support and socket, substantially as described.

2. A sliding shoe for furniture, or other articles, having a flat lower surface and upwardly-curved outer ed e, a support arranged concentrically wit 'n the shoe having a portion of its upper surface betweenits vertical sides and to provided with an outwardlyscurved sur ace, 8. socket fitted to oscillate u on said curved surface within rescribed imits, and a split pin arra e to pass through said socket and being a apted to be engaged by a bore in a suitable piece having a diameter corresponding with the di ameter of said pin when compressed to its smallest dimensions, and a depth equal to the length of the pin required to be used in said bore, and a housing connectin said concentrically-arranged support an socket and preventing their separation, substantially as described.

3. A slidin shoe for furniture, or other articles, forms of earthenware material, having a flat lower surface and upwardly-curved outer ed 'e, means for securing a housing concentrical ly around and over a portion of its upper surface, a socket formed centrally within the upper surface of the shoe, a su porting-piece mounted concentrically within said soc at having a central aperture and a portion of its upper surface between its vertical sides and said aperture curved outwardly, in combination with a pin having a head or enlargement u on its closed end and a socket secured to sai( pin and being adapted to oscillate within prescribed limits upon the aforesaid supporting-piece, and means for preventing t :e separation of said lastnained socket and the shoe by the application of a housing substantially as shown.

4. A sliding shoe for furniture, or other articles, formed of earthenware material, having a flat lower surface and upwardly-curved outer edge, means for securing a housing concentrica y around and over a portion of its upper surface, a socket formed centrally shoe, a sup- III portingiece mounted concentrically within the diameter of said pin when com ressed to said see et having acentra] aperture and a its smaliest dimension and a dep equal to portion of its 11 per surface between its verthe iength of pin required to be used 111 said tical sides an said aperture curved eutbore, and means of preventing the separation 15 wardlg', in combination with a split pin haw 0f said last-named socket and the shoe by the inga ad or enlargementnpon its closed end afivplieation of a housing, suhstanfially as and a socket secured to said pin, it being 3 own adapted to oscillate within prescribed limits A omen a. LITTLE. upon the aforesaid supporting-piece, said in Witnesses:

being adapted to enter a bore in a suite is Mrs. CHAS. BRIGGS,

piece. having a diameter corresponding with HEMAN MILLER. 

